


lips of lie and lye, bitter and bitten tongue

by outlawslikeus



Category: Dear Evan Hansen - Pasek & Paul/Levenson
Genre: Alliteration, Angst, Bitterness, Canon Compliant, Gen, Jealousy, Metaphors, Missing Scene, Not Beta Read, Taste, Unrequited Love, like WAY too much alliteration
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:48:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27655028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/outlawslikeus/pseuds/outlawslikeus
Summary: Jared's a lot more acquainted with the bitterness of betrayal than he is whiskey.
Relationships: Evan Hansen & Jared Kleinman, Evan Hansen/Jared Kleinman (One-sided)
Kudos: 14





	lips of lie and lye, bitter and bitten tongue

**Author's Note:**

> I'd say I'm sorry for continuously writing unrequited Kleinsen but I'm not because I do have happy stuff for them in the works :)

“—help the Murphys,” he says, finishing Evan’s words. He wonders if _Zoe Murphy_ could ever do that, if she could ever know Evan as well as he does. He reaches the conclusion that she could _never_. The words leave a bitter taste in his mouth (much like the Fireball he knows is in the liquor cabinet).

Jared’s eyes catch motion coming up from behind Evan’s shoulder, and they flit over for a split second to see Zoe Murphy approaching.

Speak of the devil.

He turns his attention back to Evan. “I know. You keep saying that.”

Before Evan has time to respond, Zoe is upon them.

“Hey Jared.” She says his name with a bite, as if she is also tasting bitterness in her mouth, or at least he thinks she does. Maybe it’s all in his head, but that’s where he lives. He doesn’t know what to make of the perfectly agreeable expression on her face in conjunction with her tone, but he doesn’t have time to decipher, because Zoe is already moving on.

She turns her attention to Evan. “Hi,” she says, softer, a smile gracing her lips.

Jared watches as Zoe leans in to leave a peck on Evan’s lips. He averts his gaze, unwilling, unable to watch. If anything, she’s tasting him now. He’s left wondering again, if he could ever do that, if he could ever know what Evan’s lips taste like. He reaches the same conclusion as before.

His averted gaze lands his line of sight right onto Evan and Zoe’s clasped hands, and it feels like bile in his throat. He can’t take this anymore. Jared makes his exit, but not before his bitter tongue fails to bite back his words.

“Look at you,” he says, unable to stop himself from getting the last word, “helping the Murphys.” He savors this kind of bitterness now, tasting hints of betrayal and broken friendships. He’s gotten to know these flavors well lately.

Later that night, he finds out exactly what the Fireball in the liquor cabinet tastes like. This, he thinks, tastes even worse than the ash and arsenic that poisoned his tongue earlier, but then again he’s not experienced enough to distinguish between the different flavors of the whiskey like he does his own bitterness.

Jared pulls out his phone, and the one and only notification on it is an automated email he set up for himself, reporting to him the statistics on The Connor Project’s growth. He swipes at the screen with clumsy fingers, until his email opens. Engagement and donations are down again from yesterday, but it’s nothing unexpected. It’s been dipping for almost a week now. He supposes he should be surprised it took Evan as long as he did to notice, but then again, he isn’t expecting much from Evan nowadays.

He takes another gulp. The whiskey burns going down, leaving a warm feeling in his chest and he savors the newness of the sensation, if not the taste, glad to taste something other than the bitter, biting jealousy.

It’s not like he isn’t getting this warmth elsewhere.

**Author's Note:**

> Unbetad, so let me know about any spelling/grammar mistakes. Kudos, comments, concrit, feedback, anything you dis/liked, etcetera are appreciated. Drop your favorite line or something in the comments. Was that too much alliteration?
> 
> Follow me at [outlawslikeus](https://outlawslikeus.tumblr.com) on tumblr.
> 
> Bonus: [Jealous of Laura Dreyfuss?](https://youtu.be/vHDUtvFufTE?t=2255)


End file.
